MotoGP refugee Shinya Nakano has made his debut appearance for Aprilia ahead of his switch to the World Superbike Championship in 2009, as the team also took the opportunity to unveil its race-liveried RSV-4 for the first time.
With forthcoming team-mate
Max Biaggi assuming testing duties in Portugal earlier this month, Nakano finally made it out on track today aboard the new bike, which will adopt Aprilia's corporate red and black colour scheme for its livery next season.
Joined in Valencia by
WSBK test rider Alex Hoffman and Aspar Aprilia's new contender Bradley Smith, Nakano spent the day acclimatising to the bike, which has a larger capacity, but is also heavier, than he is used to.
Nakano is the latest rider to embark on a career in
World Superbikes following a lengthy tenure in MotoGP. He joins former rivals Biaggi,
Makoto Tamada and
Carlos Checa in making the switch.
No lap times have been made available as of yet.